Beck's Files
by Deversem
Summary: Beck has been feeling down lately. Why? Well, maybe he's just getting tired of Jade. Who knows? Actually, I do, but I won't tell.
1. Cereal Killer

Waking up, I have that same feeling of emptiness that's been with me the past few weeks.

I can't really explain it in any other way than it feels like I'm walking through fog, never really _seeing_ any of the things I'm around or the people I'm with. Never really _grasping_ the things in my hands. Detached, less in and more _out_. Just, uh... I don't know, not me, I guess.

Being so detached is kind of a problem, don't you think? I think so.

Not really sure how to solve it, though, short of asking for help, and I'd rather try my hand at dealing with it myself than running to Jade, or better yet, _anyone_ else.

Speaking of Jade, the text she sent me a while ago was what woke me up in the first place, asking if I had plans. Thanks again, honey.

Besides that, though, it's pretty much a normal Sunday for me. I'm not really that religious so I don't go to church, I'm not really that health conscious so I don't spend my weekends destroying myself at the gym. I'll usually just spend Sundays in my RV, sleeping in, maybe watching a little TV, definitely being as lazy as possible.

Which is what I'm doing now, eating cereal and flipping through channels, reclining on my sofa. I'm not exactly surprised that nothing's on.

The Slap isn't much better. I mean, the site isn't exactly the place for hot, groundbreaking news, but usually it's interesting enough to get me through the slow days at school, and on days like these it's like my morning paper.

Aside from Rex bragging about some Northridge party he went to and Andre posting some new lyrics he's been working on, there isn't much news. Robbie's blog has been peppered with these awful new 'Trina Updates' lately, since they'd started dating. I mean, I'm happy for the guy; I don't think very many people can appreciate Rob for who he is, and maybe this whole thing will even make Trina start acting like a _normal_ person.

But, I actually really did enjoy reading his regular _actual_ news, the stuff about what teacher wasn't in on what day, what the Grub Truck's menu was, it was pretty useful, and I'd sure as hell rather here about any of that than what pair of shoes Trina's picked out for the day.

Black Chanel stilettos, in case you were wondering. Truly riveting, I know.

Anyway, I just mean I don't need my mornings to get even more boring, so I haven't been checking his updates all that often.

My pearphone vibrates on the table, making the milk in my bowl ripple. Ten to one it's Jade, asking me if she can come over. When I'm right, you'll owe me a dollar, or a drink. Whichever comes first.

I look at the phone for a little while before I pick it up, until the vibrating stops.

"You mind if I come over?" The text says. From Jade, oh, and by the way, give me something with grape in it.

"Of course not." I respond. Even though I do mind, just a little bit. Not that I haven't gotten used to the way Jade is, and really she's so much different when we're alone together, a lot less dragon and a lot more damsel in distress, it's just that Sunday morning is _me_ time. Not _Jade_ and me time.

Oh well, though. There's no stopping her when she wants to do something, and it'll take her less than a commercial break to get here, the way she usually drives. Jade's gotten more speeding tickets than I can count on both hands, and that's just this year, but thankfully she lets me drive whenever I ask.

And I always ask.

I sit back for a second and I decide I ought to put on a shirt, so I do. Probably need to tidy up a little too, but I don't really mind if Jade calls my living space messy again for the hundredth time, her criticisms are the salt of our relationship. I start to wonder if maybe my recent emptiness has something to do with her, but I stop. Maybe worth exploring, I guess.

Jade gets there a couple minutes later, banging on my door as though she were on fire. I wait a little bit until she calms down; I think that's better for her in the long run.

"_Beck_!" She shouts. "Beck, open up!"

I walk to the door and open it for her. She used to just barge in here whenever she wanted, but I told her personal space is important in a relationship, so she started to knock. I'm sure what I told her is true, but it was really just total bull I made up on the spot because maybe sometimes I'm doing things that I don't want anyone to see, _especially_ not my girlfriend.

"Hey." She murmurs, giving me a quick peck on the cheek and rushing past me and over toward my TV. "Listen, I got a text from Vega on the way over, you gotta see the news." Her hair is pulled back, that's usually a sign she means some serious business.

"What news?" I ask, dropping onto my couch.

Jade just glances at me, then back at the screen. "Here," she says, finding the local morning news. "They found _another_ body."

Another _what_? "What body?"

She rolls her eyes, "don't you read Robbie's blog?"

Huh, I'm actually surprised that _she_ does. But then again, Jade does have a habit of never letting anyone know how much she cares about things like that, or that she even cares at all. "Not lately, too much fashion for my taste. Why?" I watch her, admiring the way her black shirt and black jeans hug her figure like a second skin.

"_Because_," Jade sneers, pointing at the television, "you'd know about _this_!"

As I bring my attention from her to the news, I sit up rigidly. The woman reporting has a serious crime scene set up behind her, police rushing back and forth, and ambulance in the background. The title scrolling across the screen below the reporter reads '_Hollywood Killer_ _Strikes Again_.' "Wait, what?" I stammer.

"A serial killer!" Jade says. "This is the third body in two months!" I can sense her morbid curiosity perking up. She lives for this kind of _death_ thing, _so to speak_.

It sort of starts to worry me that I haven't noticed there's been a murderer running around my town until after he's already racked up three bodies. But only sort of.

I am a little out of touch, huh? _Detached_... "Well, that's no good." I say absently.

"Well no shit, Beck!" Jade snaps, sitting next to me on the couch, taking my hand in her usual vice grip.

_Wow_, looks like she's actually seriously worried. Wait, should I be, too? Yikes… See what I mean about being detached?

"It's okay, honey." I whisper, not exactly sure what she wants to hear. "They'll catch him."

That brief hint of fear on her face fades and she's back to that usual predatory smirk. "Yeah, whatever," she shakes her head, "that's not even why I came over."

"Why _did_ you come over?" I ask. I know where she's going with this, and, not that I don't appreciate the thought; I'm just really not in the mood. I didn't get to finish my cereal, I find out there's somebody out there right now killing people in my own city, and on top of that, _I didn't even get to finish my cereal_.

But, there's really no stopping Jade.


	2. Without Presents

"You see kids, it's all about _confidence_!" Sikowitz explains to the class, pacing back and forth. He's been yelling and gesticulating his arms wildly all period, taking occasional sips from one of his coconuts. Typical Sikowitz, you know. You probably aren't new to this sort of thing.

I haven't really been listening, to be honest. I've been watching Jade glare at Tori while they share a scene up on stage. Jade's saying some hateful thing and Tori is just trying to move the act forward. Cat's up there too, looking a little lost, _poor girl_. I always feel bad when she gets caught in the crossfire.

It's pretty much the same thing as every other day, everyone's just going through the motions. No wonder I'm feeling depressed, _sheesh_, having to sit through _this_ all the time. Mondays, man.

Their scene ends with Tori being sent away to Ukraine. "Never to be heard from again," according to Jade.

"Good enough, girls," Sikowitz exclaims shooing them away from the stage, adding, "if a little _standoffish_." He turns toward Jade, opens his mouth, and closes it. He straightens the long, tan scarf draped around his neck and finally he says, "Jade, have you ever considered therapy?"

That takes a second to register.

Everyone in class laughs, and even I chuckle a little bit, while Jade shoots Sikowitz a murderous look and fumes quietly, sitting back down next to me. She crosses her arms and scoots her chair closer to mine.

I probably should feel sorry for her, maybe try and comfort her a little bit; these kinds of moments really do wear on her, little cuts that add up.

But _she's_ the one always putting herself in these situations; it's her own fault, really. I'm sure she feels bad about it now, hindsight is a bitch, whatever, but she knows the sort of reaction her behavior gets from people, I can't be there to cradle her ego every time someone decides to turn around and be… _Jade_ to Jade. That would be unhealthy, plus I'm really just not equipped to back her up every time something like that happens. It's too much work.

I'm used to work, I'm used to challenges, that's just part of being an actor you know? Getting challenged at every turn. And I'm an actor, or well, I _will_ be. Either way, I feel like being with Jade has prepared me for the worst the world could possibly throw at me.

I wrap my arm around her shoulders, kiss her cheek, and I can feel her loosen up. There,_ better_. It's funny how easy it is with her sometimes, as easy as breathing.

"_Teachers_," Jade sighs through pursed lips. Her tone has a hint of sadness that I do not like as her head leans to rest against my neck.

"He was only joking." I say, knowing that I really can't make her feel better right now. Too much of a chore.

"So! Current events!" Sikowitz shouts, squatting down on the steps of the stage. "What's new? What's on your wild, free, zit-riddled young minds?"

No one says anything. There's an elephant the room, and Sikowitz wants to feed it peanuts.

"Aside from the serial killer running around?" Jade whispers, "not much, Mister S…"

I nudge her and smile.

It is pretty obvious that that particular 'current event' is what most people are thinking about. Everyone's shifting awkwardly in their seats, and they all look pretty uneasy. Even Cat, who I would assume to be in her usual, _strange_ little world, looks particularly upset. _Hmm_, I'll make a note to try and do something about that. Probably ought to get Tori or Robbie or whoever to talk to her, to calm her a little, if not do it myself.

Cat is probably the one person in our gang who'd drop everything to make any of us feel better, and maybe she deserves the same courtesy. Don't you think? I think so. And I mean, come on. Cat without a smile on her face is like a Christmas without any presents.

Eventually Andre is the one who brings it up.

"I heard about that stabbing that happened Saturday night." He says. "The girl who got killed." Stabbing, huh? I hadn't really paid attention to the story when Jade had stormed into my place the day before. That makes it... more brutal.

"Ah, yes," Sikowitz nods, "and how does that make you feel?"

I can see what he's trying to do, I think, but trying to guess where Sikowitz's train of thought is headed is a tough thing to do. He's not exactly the linear or cohesive thought pattern type of man. Honestly, it's like betting against the sun rising in the morning, but he has gotten easier to read over the years. _At least for me_, anyway.

Andre looks a little lost. "I… just wanted to bring it up." He says, shrugging.

Sikowitz only stares at him, sucking on the straw in his coconut. They way he's perched, he reminds me of an owl.

"Okay, yeah. Maybe I'm a little scared. Just a _little_." Andre finally says, looking at the rest of the class. "This guy is in our backyard, it's hard to feel safe."

"Indeed." Sikowitz murmurs, "what about the rest of you?"

"It's crazy." Tori says, "My dad told me they've got every cop in the county looking for the guy, but it's… They just don't have much to go on." She looks down, clasping her hands on her lap. "He's actually taking it pretty _personally_."

Robbie, sitting to Tori's right, perks up. "Trina said that they might institute a curfew." Surprisingly enough, Rex has nothing to say on the matter. It's actually pretty interesting how Robbie's dependence on Rex has curbed. Trina can't be _that_ bad, I guess.

Tori nods, "I think so, yeah."

A cacophony of groans and protests echo throughout the classroom.

Probably for the best, I know, but we are teenagers, after all. We really aren't going to react well to this sort of imposed precaution, no matter how logical and valid it may be. There's nothing worse than authority figures telling us what's best.

Jade shakes her head dismissively. "Like that'll stop _us_," she whispers to me. She is a pretty big fan of late night visits to the RV, much to my dismay. I'd rather just sleep, to be honest, but what can you do?

"My parents already want me to come home earlier," Robbie sighs. "Usually it wouldn't bother me, but now I've actually got someone to do stuff with at night."

"_Gross_." Tori blurts, making a very genuinely disgusted face.

Robbie looks at her, shocked, "I didn't mean _that_ kind of stuff!"

"Beck? Jade?" Sikowitz asks us.

I'll let her go first, I really don't think I have anything to say.

Jade sits up, leaning forward. "Me? Well, I'd like to see him and _try_ and come after me. That'd be really fun," she says, grinning. Of course she'd never tell anyone how frightened she really was. Yesterday I noticed a few of the more subtle expressions on her face that let me know that she wasn't exactly fearless toward the issue.

And everyone turns to me, staring expectantly. _Everyone,_ except Cat, who just waves a little wave and smiles. Oh great, well what the hell am I supposed to say to everyone? Being the 'cool guy' isn't something you're born into, you have to work for it. "I think the creep is living on borrowed time as we speak," I say, "it's only a matter of time until the cops kick his door in." That works, right? I think so.

"They'll catch him." Cat says abruptly, nodding to herself. She's pulled all of her hair over one shoulder while she braids it. I've always liked that color of red, especially on her. It definitely beats black.

Tori smiles at her and I reach out and pat her shoulder.

Sikowitz glances over at her, smiling. "Of course they will, Cat. _But_, until then, though, I think the curfew is a very good idea, and I'd recommend that you try and stay in groups together. I'm certain you all know exactly what _not_ to do in a situation like this, but I'm also certain that many of you have very poor impulse control, so," he continues, "I'll ask that you stay safe, if not for yourselves, do it for me, the best teacher ever." He grins.

The bell rings.

"And, I suppose that's class. See you all tomorrow."


	3. Pasta, Anger, and Cats

It's Tuesday, and I still don't really know what my problem is. It's actually really starting to bother me.

"Uh… Spaghetti, extra sauce," Jade says, turning from Festus to me, "And…" Her eyes narrow, "and he'll have the same." She says, nodding.

Festus gives me a look before backing away from the Grub Truck's window to prepare our food. It's a look that is filled with both admiration and pity, and it is a look that I am used to being given when out in public with Jade.

Normally I'd order for myself, but I'm not really all that hungry, and I think Jade has finally started to notice that slow, detached way I've been feeling. _About time_, too. She isn't too big on discussing feelings though_, _as if that wasn't obvious, so I don't expect any kind of awkward '_What's wrong_?' conversation to crop up any time soon.

Not that I wouldn't enjoy an awkward, maybe even _deep_ conversation with Jade every once and a while, because I really would. I'm just starting to realize that I'm barking up the wrong tree when it comes to relationship discussion.

"You get any sleep last night?" I ask. She'd cut the previous night's phone call short because she didn't want me hearing her parents scream awful things at one another in the background.

She nods, taking our food from Festus.

It's always been a sore subject, her parents. I've met Mr. and Mrs. West several times, and from what I've seen, they spend more time at each other's throats than in each other's arms. Which isn't good, obviously, especially for their daughter.

"I'm fine." Jade murmurs, sensing my concern. She hands me my spaghetti and we walk over to our table.

I stop her. "You sure, babe?"

Her eyebrows rise incredulously and she keeps walking. _Yep_, wrong tree, what was I thinking?

I frown, and suddenly, I start to wonder what it would like with anyone else. Someone less guarded, someone more considerate, someone kinder. Like Tori or Cat or… _Cat_.

"Hi Beck!" Cat chirps, bouncing past me toward our table. Her hair a blur of blood red, her backpack and skirt matching shades of canary yellow.

_Huh_, that was weird.

I stand by myself for a while, just sort of staring at nothing. It's not often that I feel as though I need to reevaluate my life, to change my priorities and such. But now that I think about it, maybe I really should. Maybe that's been my problem from the start, why I've been feeling so out of it. So…_ Dull_. Maybe I do just really need a change.

It's funny how the little things add up. Little cuts, you know?

Andre is the one who interrupts my little bit of soul-searching then. He claps me on the back firmly, "Hey man!" He greets.

That sure snapped me out of it. "Andre," I smirk as we walk over to the table.

I squeeze in at the end of one of the benches, next to Jade and across from Robbie, who is helping Trina pick things out of a catalogue. "What was that?" Jade asks. "You looked a little–"

"Lost?" I say.

"Yeah."

"I think I am."

Jade looks down at her food, "what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

I don't answer. Instead, I start to pick at my spaghetti, "Tori, you make that casting call yesterday?" I ask.

Jade's posture stiffens.

Tori's face lights up in that familiar way. "I did! I think I did really well, too. Thanks again, Beck, that was big favor."

It wasn't really, at all. All I had to do was tell one of my contacts that I knew a pretty brunette who'd be good for a small role in a slasher movie they were casting for. As easy as a phone call. I just hope Tori won't mind getting killed on screen. "Don't mention it," I smile.

"No, really _don't_." Jade grunts, glaring and stabbing into her noodles with her fork.

"What's the part?" Cat asks.

"Well," Tori begins, "I'm gonna get to play _Gas Station Attendant_, I'm the first one to get killed!" She says giddily, "I get _stabbed_, it's gonna be awesome."

"Sounds great?" Cat manages in a worried tone, twirling her hair with her finger. She glances at me with an uneasy smile.

Trina gasps. "You got _her_ a part and not _me_?"

_Oh_, great. How do I not turn this into a _thing_? How do I not upset her? Think. _Hmm_, I got it. "Uh, well Trina, I mean they didn't have any… _Bigger_ roles. Like the kind I know you'd want. Important ones." That works, huh? I think so.

The little impressed nod Tori shoots me is proof enough of that.

Trina looks at me for second, "you're right." she says. "I was born to play big, after all." She looks from face to face around the table appraisingly. "Just let me know when a _lead_ role opens up. Just imagine, '_Trina Vega_' up in lights on a theater marquee," she says, waving her arms theatrically.

I see Rex's head turn toward her, probably with some joke locked and loaded, ready to fire. Something about how the only job Trina could get in a theater would be taking tickets, or something, but he doesn't say anything. Robbie just smiles at Trina, kissing her cheek. He whispers something to her and she giggles. Rex actually ends up looking away.

_Creepy_.

"Good for you, girl!" Andre beams, patting Tori on the back. There's a second where they lock eyes and share a smile, a little one. I don't think anyone else notices it. _Huh_, that does make sense; they do get along really well. I ought to watch how that turns out.

That would just leave Cat, then. Wait, _what_? Why am I… Oh, it doesn't matter. She'd be fine I'm sure. Hold on, _why_ am I thinking about this?

Anyway, I think Jade notices me looking at everyone but her, because she gives me this angry look, and not just the normal angry look that's usually carved onto her face, either. This one would make children cry.

"What?" I ask.

"What do you mean _what_?" She snarls. "What's your issue today?"

The table goes quiet. _Great_, this is exactly what I need. Everyone staring. I even think a few of the kids at other tables are watching us now.

"I asked you a question," Jade says.

"Because _I'm_ the one with the problem, right?" I murmur under breath. _Holy shit_, what am I saying? Hand me a shovel, because apparently I want to dig my own grave.

"_What_?" Jade stands up, a fury behind her eyes like nothing I've ever seen. It almost feels like she might take a swing at me, and she wears rings on _both_ hands too, which would hurt. It would hurt a lot. She's hit me before, jokingly, and she still managed to give me the worst bruises of my life.

I can't think of anything else to say that wouldn't make this situation head even further South, and funnily enough, I think I might _want_ this to get worse. I haven't felt this alive in a while, just arguing with Jade. It just seems like we've been coasting for the longest time, and it's been boring. _How_ have I been able to stand it this long? "I think you heard me, Jade. I didn't stutter."

"You –" She starts.

But our little… Moment? Yeah. Our moment is interrupted, by _Sinjin_, of all people. "You guys!" He gasps, panting. "You guys, they found, huff, _another_ one!"

Taking his glasses off and wiping them on his shirt, Robbie asks: "Another what?"

"Go away." Jade seethes, glancing at Sinjin.

Sinjin takes a step back, "A body!" He says.

That's number four, then. What the hell do they pay the cops in this town for, anyway? Eating donuts? Shit, I know I'd do a better job.

Trina grips onto Robbie's arm, Cat's mouth falls open, and Tori and Andre share another look. It's just a tad more worried than their last one.

Jade is still looking down at me, arms crossed, still very much angry.

"Where at?" Andre asks.

I can see kids at the other tables start getting up and heading out through the front gates of the parking lot. Where are _they_ going? _Wait_, no. No…

No, it couldn't be.

"Like three blocks from here!" Sinjin exclaims, before taking off after the rest of the students.

Everyone at the table looks eagerly from Jade and I to the gathering crowd leaving the school.

"Nothing to say?" Jade asks.

I look her up and down. I have some things I'd very much like to say, but I think better of it. I just chuckle and shake my head. "Not today, Jade, not anymore."

"Fine." She says, and after a few seconds, she shakes her head too, "maybe… Maybe you've said enough, huh?" She starts to walk away, "I'm gonna go look at a corpse."

Tori gets up, her pearphone in her hand, "Trina, I'm calling dad." She says, running after Jade.

"Tori!" Trina shouts. "Oh, _shoot_." She gets up and drags Robbie along with her.

"Come on, guys!" Robbie manages as he's yanked away.

Andre starts after them, leaving only Cat and I at the table. Well, I guess all the food is still here, too, and Rex.

Actually, Rex has a genuinely sad expression on his little puppet face. _Weird_. I don't think I've ever seen Robbie really _forget_ him before, either. Cat eventually scoops him up and puts him next to her.

"You aren't going?" Cat asks, picking at Rex's afro.

I shake my head, "Nah, It's not really something I'd rush off to see."

"Me neither."

"I wouldn't think so." I laugh.

She stays quiet for a second. "Beck?"

"Cat?"

"Are you and Jade going to break up?"

That's a _very_ good question. I honestly have no idea. It seemed like Jade might've made up her mind just then, and I think whether I know it or not, I've might've done the same. _Huh_, is this it?

I do sort of feel a little better after speaking my mind even just to that extent. I should probably do that more often, you know? _Oh_! Right, I was just asked a question. "Well, I couldn't really tell you." I say.

"She's my friend." Cat says.

What? Well, I knew that already. "I know."

"She's also very mean. To you. And you're my friend too."

"Cat, she's mean to everyone."

She smiles, "but she shouldn't be." She picks a piece of lettuce from her salad and eats it. "She could try being nicer."

Can't argue with that, can I? We could all stand to be a little nicer. The way _Cat_ is. "You mean like you are?" I ask.

Cat blushes then, almost as Red as her hair. "I meant…"

"I know what you meant," I smile. "And you're right," I say, nodding, "you really are. Which is why I think, yeah, we might break up." _Wow_, saying it out loud… I really am thinking about it, huh? Damn, that's not going to be easy, is it?

I guess Cat saw the little cracks of indecision that were showing on my face, because she reached across the table and took one of my hands in both of hers. "You should do what's right, not what's easy."

Now _that's_ wisdom, right there. Simple, a little profound, and from Cat, too. I always knew the soul of a philosopher lay behind those big brown eyes. Pretty, big brown eyes, I might add. _Beautiful_.

Oh, great. I'm already looking for the next one, aren't I?

Her hand grips mine, tight. It's different from the way Jade does, though. With Jade it's like I can't _get away_, like there's no escape. She holds my hand like isn't attached to my arm, like it's an object she thinks is valuable.

Cat just… And her hands are so much softer, and it's _different_. Better, totally, but just not at all what I'm used to.

I like it. I might take this moment and…

"Cat, Beck!" Sikowitz calls from across the courtyard. He starts jogging toward us.

I pull my hand away from Cat's hands reflexively, and she frowns at me. Ouch, yeah that was a little… Uncouth. She smiles at Sikowitz as he approaches, though.

"Drive-by acting exercise!" He shouts, "_quick_, Beck you are a married man out on a date with Cat. However, Cat, you are _not_ his wife. Go!"

_What?_ Cat and I exchange shocked looks. "Uh, what?" I manage.

Sikowitz laughs, "only joking! I imagine Jade would breathe fire if I made you do something like _that_." He glances around. "Say, where _is_ everyone else?"

"They all went off to see the dead body." Cat says.

"_Dead body_?" Our teacher asks. He rubs his chin, and nods. "Which way?"

I point toward the parking lot.

"I probably should wrangle them back here, no?" Sikowitz murmurs. "I'll see you both in class," he says, chasing after the other students.

And we just sort of sit there quietly. Alone.

"Cat, I don't know if…" _Wow_, I'm just going to go for it, aren't I? Okay then. "I uh, well…" Shit, this is _hard_. I've been with Jade so long; I think maybe I've forgotten how awkward I can be. How awkward starting out can be. Wait, _starting out_? Starting _what_? What the hell am I saying? I haven't even really broken up with Jade yet, and who knows, I might even change my mind about that, too. I need to straighten myself out.

When the _hell_ did I get so mixed up?

"Beck?" Cat whispers, reaching for my hand again.

And then I'm calm. I take a deep breath, and clear my head. I'm _Beck Oliver_. I'm cool, I'm collected. I _don't_ worry, that's not me. If I like Cat, then I like Cat, and that's all that needs to be said.

I mean, what is there to worry about, really? _Besides_ the serial killer.

Cat squeezes my hand. Hold on, when did I take hers again? "I…" She begins, and you know, I'm expecting her to say something _way_ above my pay grade just then, something heavy, but certainly not: "I think I know who's been killing these people."

But, that is exactly what she says, and with that, my mouth drops open.


	4. Goats That Lay Eggs

I just sort of sleepwalked through the rest of school.

Not really listening, not really caring, just letting myself blend in and fade out. I just retract into my shell, and shut myself off.

Not that it's all that hard to do that today. All anyone wants to talk about is the newest _victim_, the body the cops found over behind the gas station down the street. Most of the people who went over to the crime scene came back _excited_. Happy to have been there, happy to have seen the cops cart some poor dead girl into an ambulance with the sirens off.

Every class after lunch was too far derailed by discussion of it. Who the reporters interviewed, who got to be on camera, and who got to see the body before they took it away. The Slap is littered with a million updates about it, too, everyone so concerned with spectacle, rather than the fact that there's somebody out there right now who committed that awful crime, and is probably planning to kill again. Which is what I'm mostly worried about.

It's actually kind of morbid, now that I think about it. Even a little _gross_, you know? I'm actually glad I didn't go. I'm not sure if I really have the stomach for that sort of thing. I've never seen a dead body, never even been to a _funeral_.

It's all just a shock to the system, really. The girl who got killed went to Northridge, and she was _my_ age, you know? These last two killings happened within miles of here, it's starting to mess with my head. It's just getting more and more _real_ by the day.

I don't want to say I wasn't taking it seriously before, but it's just a matter of assuming that things like that just _won't_ happen, and even when they do, it'll be on a TV screen. Somewhere else and somewhere far.

Definitely not a five-minute walk from where you go to school.

But, _ah_, this is a real downer, and I've got other things on my mind.

The silver lining to this whole thing is that it's given me an excuse to avoid Jade. Not that anyone would ever really _need_ an excuse, mind you, but it is nice to have one. I haven't talked to her at all since our little _confrontation_ at lunch, thankfully, and luckily enough, her dirty looks have no effect on me. So that's a bullet successfully dodged.

She also hasn't said much to Cat, which makes me think she might have seen out little moment earlier. Whatever, that doesn't really matter.

Because Cat hasn't said anything to me either, which _is_ something that matters. It's something I feel bad about, and I suppose that's _guilt_. Guilt from earlier. When I kind of, sort of _laughed_ at her.

Believe me, I feel bad enough about that enough already; I don't need any help with feeling worse.

After she told me what she… Well, after she told me that she thinks a serial killer is living across the street from her, I couldn't help but laugh. I mean, _come on_!

How else am I supposed to react to having that kind of bombshell dropped on me?

And, this has got to be just another of Cat's little ideas. She has a hard time keeping her imagination in check, okay? I'm sure you understand, you've seen the way she is.

Like, uh… You know those brown eggs, the kind you see in the grocery store? Yeah, Cat thinks _goats_ lay those eggs. Seriously. That's the kind of thing I'm talking about.

Not that she's dumb, because she's not. I don't want you to think that at all. She's just… she's just _Cat_. A little gullible, maybe, a little naïve, too, and that's why we love her, you know? That's certainly why I love her.

_Like_!

Like. That's why I _like_ her.

Ahem.

Anyways, I think she's just imagining things, the way she's liable to. There's no way she's a serial killer's neighbor. You don't have Hannibal Lecter or Charles Manson or whoever move into town without the whole neighborhood noticing, you know? It's just, nah. Like goats laying eggs. It's too crazy, it couldn't be.

_Could it_?

No.

Or, well…

_No_.

But…

She did seem _way_ too scared for it to just be her imagination, though. Her eyes were too terrified, she was almost shaking, you know? I've never seen her look that way in my life. There must be something to this. No one deserves to be that frightened. It's just cruel, and when it's Cat? That's twice as cruel. She's never even done anything intentionally mean to _anyone_, and I don't think she ever would.

I mean, even I have my bad days. _Like these past couple_…

Cat only ever has _good_ days. Except for today, because she's scared.

Okay, then.

I'm going to help her.

And, maybe…

Maybe there's a very _small _chance, _very_ small, near impossible, that she's right. There might be a slim possibility that she _has_ found this guy, where he lives, who he is, and all that. Anything is possible, right? I guess if it were going to be anyone, it would have to be Cat, wouldn't it?

Great. So maybe I believe her, _maybe_ I do. Fantastic.

What now? _Shit_, I have no idea.

I probably need to tell someone else. _Okay_, who am I kidding? I _definitely_ need to tell someone, but…

I need to find Cat first.

Which is why I'm standing by Cat's locker now, trying not to lose my eyesight in the glare of all these fluorescent colors. And, maybe I'm also standing here because… I do believe her. It might be that I believed the whole time, because part of me was prepared to from the start. That little part of me that maybe does believe that goats lay eggs.

I honestly don't know. Usually I'd have something like this figured out by now.

'_A serial killer_? Come on, Cat, that's stupid.' I'd say. Something like that _would_ work, probably. It'd certainly be a lot easier if I did feel that way.

But it's not that way, is it? It's _this_ way, it's… It's Beck and Cat versus Evil. Like the plot of a movie.

I just have to believe her, don't I? Even though I really, really don't want to. Why? I've always got to help, always have to right the wrongs. It's always other people's problems, never my own. And you know why? Because I can deal with _my own_ problems! Apparently no one else can and that's really a problem, because I'd love to just have one week where I don't have to help someone out. One week where I don't need to wear a dress for Tori, where I don't have to fix Robbie's terrible little car.

_Right_? Don't I deserve a little relaxation? I certainly don't get any with _Jade_.

Why did Cat even have to tell me in the first place? Why not tell Tori? Her dad is the goddamn cop! I'm just Beck. I'm not a crime fighter!

_Ugh,_ I don't know. Maybe I just have one of _those_ faces, the kind that people want to tell things to. It's starting to become a real problem, lately.

_Shit._

Who am I kidding?

Now I'm trying to convince myself that I _don't_ enjoy helping people? I love being the safety net; I love being the helping hand.

That's my job; it's _always_ been my job, and there's no arguing around that.

I'm committed, whether I want to be or not, and I do want to be.

Okay.

I think Jade walked by me just then, but I'm not paying attention. Of all the things I need to worry about right now, _she_ isn't high on my list. _At all_. She's not even on my list, if I'm being honest with you, and I'm _always_ going to try to be honest with you.

"Beck?" Says a voice from behind me.

I turn around to see Tori with a concerned tinge to her face. "Oh, hey." I murmur. _Where's Cat_? She should've been here by now.

"What are you doing over here?" Tori asks.

"Standing."

She rolls her eyes, "I _mean_, are you waiting for Cat or something? This is her locker." She shoots a worried glance over her shoulder, "are you and Jade like... Over?"

I smile. I still have no idea. "Maybe. You seen Cat anywhere?"

Tori shakes her head, and then I start to worry.

Where the hell is she? The final bell rang like ten minutes ago, she should've come by her locker by now, and there's no way I could've missed her. Cat isn't someone you _don't_ see.

_Hmm_, okay. That's not good at all, _at all_. Actually it's really bad.

_Shit_.

"All right," I nod. "Right, let me know if you see her okay?" I tell her. This urge to run washes over me, a _need_. A compulsion to sprint through the hallway and to find Cat, but I don't. I walk, _calmly_.

"I will…" Tori says, her eyebrows rising. "See you tomorrow, Beck?"

I wave absently, turning a corner.

Suddenly I'm incredibly worried. Too worried. _Way_ too worried.

I start to imagine all the places she could be… Out, and alone, and I think…

No. She's fine. She's just off somewhere, with Andre or Trina or someone. Perfectly fine.

I send her a text, "still at school?" It says.

Then I hear a beeping echo down the hallway behind me, just as I'm about to check the courtyard. I hadn't noticed how really deserted the place had gotten; there's _no one_ around. If it were dark out I'd… Oh, never mind. I turn around, and head back inside.

The beeping is a ring tone, judging by the rhythm, a _familiar_ ring tone, one that I've heard before. Coming from the stairwell, back over where I just was. This time I _can't_ stop myself from running.

I make it over to there in record time. Seriously, I think I just burned a track in the floor.

You cannot believe the relief that washes over me when I see Cat walking down the stairs.

"Oh, hey Beck." She smiles. She has her pearphone in her hands, "hold on, I just gotta respond to the text you sent me, kay?"

I laugh, panting. I look up at the ceiling, my hands on my hips. _Sheesh_, I should probably run more. Then my phone starts to vibrate and I laugh some more.

Cat keeps smiling at me.

"Cat I…" How am I _this_ tired?

"Were you looking for me?" She asks, "sorry, I was helping Sinjin chew gum for a sculpture. My jaw's really tired now."

"Cat,"

"My brother once got gum in his hair and he had to shave it all off." She says. "It was pretty bad, it took him like two months to grow it back. His _hair_, I mean, not the gum."

I shake my head, "Cat," I take her hands, "that's fantastic, but I need to tell that –"

"That you believe me?" She interrupts. "Yeah, I can tell."

_How_? I guess it doesn't matter, as long as she knows. "Good." I say. "So what did you need me to do?"

Cat looks at me for a second. I hadn't noticed that she seemed taller because she was standing a few steps higher than I was; it's odd having her stare into my eyes without her having to look up.

She really is just _gorgeous_… Wait; hold on, this is supposed to be a _serious_ moment. You really need to stop letting me get distracted, shame on you.

"Hmm," Cat purrs.

"Anything I can do, anything at all." I say.

"Well," she begins.

"Yeah?"

She looks down at our hands, then back up at me. "_Well_, you could sleep over at my house tonight."

_Oh_, is that all? I can do…

_WAIT, WHAT?_


	5. Stake Out

As I sit here in the light of the moon, a pair of binoculars pressed to my face and a warm glass of lemonade within reach, I'm starting to think Cat might be just the slightest bit _right_ about this whole thing.

The lemonade wasn't warm when Cat handed it to me; by the way, I've just been here for a while.

She explained to me as I drove her to her house that the guy living across the street from her is apparently the killer, which is great. Well, maybe not _great_, but _convenient_, I suppose. It wouldn't really be great living across from someone who kills people, I imagine, maybe about as great as your dog dying at the foot of your bed.

Anyways, I think_, fair enough_, you know? Might as well check this guy out, if not simply for Cat's sake rather than with the actual intention of discovering that he is, in fact, a serial killer and then stopping and catching him. It's certainly does have her spooked, and I _really_ don't like that, so I'll do what I can to make her feel better. Simple as that, right? Just prove that this guy isn't what Cat thinks, or…

Or prove that he is, and, if that happens, well…

Well, I'll just have to figure that out when the time comes, won't I? Beck and Cat versus Evil, right? Shouldn't be too hard.

_Right_.

The thing is, I came out here with the intention of proving her _wrong_. Finding something that Cat missed, or overlooked, that would prove that this person couldn't be a murderer. Simple stuff, I thought.

However I'd planned it, I didn't expect to become this… _Convinced_.

'He only ever comes out at night,' Cat told me on the way over, 'and sometimes when he leaves, he drags these big, _people_-shaped bags out to his car...'

Which does sound incredibly suspicious, you have to admit, and it's not as though I hadn't been pretty much convinced beforehand, but it could've just been trash, you know? Recycling, or something. Maybe they don't pick it up with the regular trash in this neighborhood. Sounds plausible enough to me.

Not to Cat, though.

But, I _did_ see that coming.

So I'm here, and I'm ready to watch for whatever it was that's getting Cat so worked up. Ready to bust some myths, as it were. Ready to crack this case wide-open, if you'll pardon the phrase.

Ordinarily, I would've expected Cat's parents to be home tonight, and for them to in turn be less than receptive to the idea that I'd be staying over, but when I asked Cat where they were, all gave me was a shrug. She only said, 'probably Europe,' very cryptically before changing the subject to her collection of stuffed animals.

I thought that was a little disappointing, actually, because I would've enjoyed meeting her parents. It definitely would be interesting to see where Cat's… _Catness_ comes from. Alas, though, that I should be allowed to spend a beautiful evening with a beautiful girl, _without_ her parents.

What a life, huh? What _terrible_ luck I have.

Cat's asleep now, curled up on the floor a few feet from me, snoring these sweet little snores. She went to sleep an hour or so ago, after beating me in every card game you could think of, I swear she's an evil genius. I've never hated the game _Go Fish_ until tonight, until being beaten six times in a row by someone who I was _trying_ to go easy on in the first place, but I really do hate it now. And don't even get me started on the few hands of poker we played.

If it were anyone else, I would've thrown my cards down and given up, but Cat has a way of making you want to stick around. Probably has something to do with her smile, or her laugh, maybe her eyes, too.

That way she flips her hair, how soft her skin is, how…

_Come on_, Beck. Get a hold of yourself.

Sheesh, I almost fell asleep just then. I really didn't expect this to be an all night thing.

I look over at the alarm clock over by Cat's bed.

_1:39_? Seriously? I came over here at four in the afternoon! I'm supposed to go to school tomorrow, it's _Tuesday_ night for crying out loud! I'm going to be _so_ exhausted tomorrow, so damn tired. I can already tell that's going to be absolute _hell_…

Cat shifts and mumbles something in her sleep, it sounds like "_banana waffle_," and I smile. All right, so what's _one_ night without sleep, huh? Who cares, I'll be fine.

And plus, if anyone is worth losing sleep over, it's Cat.

While I've been over here, I'm starting to realize exactly why I've been feeling so lost lately, too, why I've been so mixed up. My life has really stagnated; it's become a chore to just go through my day. Waking up, texting Jade, going to school, talking to Jade, coming home, talking to Jade on the phone. It really just doesn't end.

But here… Doing _this_? This is _fun_. I'm actually trying to catch a serial killer! This is a real adventure, you know? I'm having the time of my life here, leaning out of this window and staring at a house with a pair of pink binoculars. Here with Cat.

Of course, she's asleep now, but you see what I'm trying to say.

It's just _different_, you know? Jade would never have gone for something like this, she'd think it's boring. She would've said so, too, _over and over again_, all night, no matter if I were having fun.

Cat is just… Different, you know? Cat _cares_. It's pretty much her thing. She's the most empathetic person I've ever met, while Jade, on the other hand, willfully ignores the way other people feel.

Cat wouldn't do that. Not to me, not to anyone

And I'll admit, I did get a little… _Apprehensive_, when she asked me to come over earlier, but I mean, _come on_. Let's see _anyone_ not do a double take at that, you know? Especially if it's a girl as pretty as Cat.

_Really_ pretty, I mean.

Thankfully, she just meant that she wanted to hang out. _Thankfully_, might not actually be the right word, come to think of it. Maybe my gut reaction was more along the lines of '_aw man, _that's all?' But, you see my point.

Anyways, her passed out over there is possibly the cutest thing I've seen in my life, and it pretty much makes this night worth it, even if this stakeout amounts to nothing.

_When_ this stakeout amounts to nothing, I should say.

The guy I'm watching, or well, the guy I'm _waiting_ to watch, is a senior at HA, according to Cat. He leased out that house around a month ago, which is, funnily enough, _exactly_ when the murders started. So tally another one for Cat being right, and be sure to lock your doors at night, folks.

I am a little dubious about the most wanted serial murderer in California being a high school student, however, but hey, I guess this sort of thing has to start somewhere.

She told me this guy's name a while ago, something Daniels… I can't remember. I ought to know him, she said, _considering we go to school together_, but I don't, so whatever. Actually, I don't know many seniors at out school, now that I think about it.

That part doesn't really matter, anyway. Who cares if I know him or not? And if he turns out to be a goddamn _killer_, I'd rather not know him in the first place. You know, the more I think about this guy, the angrier it makes me.

_Shit_, I'm getting all caught up in this and I don't even know if he's actually _the_ guy. I really should find proof before I start cursing his name… _Whatever the hell his name is_. This is how witch-hunts start, you know? Accusations without proof and hearsay and that whole dance.

Not that there isn't suspicion to be had, of course. If I go on Cat's word, which I _am_, then this guy disposes of bodies on a nightly basis. But I should be slower to jump, you know? I just shouldn't believe the hype, I guess. Not before I see the show, not before I find out what's really up with this guy.

I've seen little flashes of movement behind the curtains every so often, so I know he's home. Every blind and curtain and shutter on the place is shut, strangely, even though it's a fantastic night out. I mean really, this breeze is to die for.

What's this guy's deal, anyway? What is he, a _vampire_? Ha, imagine that.

Wait, _why_ am I imagining that exactly?

I let out a ferocious yawn.

_Man_, am I tired.

Right… So, what was I talking about, again?

Something about a vampire? _No_, wait. The guy across the street…

_Ryder_!

That's his name. Ryder Daniels. Cat said he went out with Tori or something, and that it didn't end well. Still doesn't ring any bells, though, and I feel like I would remember a thing like that. I usually have a head for that kind of thing, like the time Cat started getting those calls from that car alert system, I remember _that_.

Or the time she got addicted to that in-flight magazine, Sky Store or whatever it was called, and then Robbie got everyone all upset with his blog. _That_ was a fun day, if little hectic, but still really fun, especially looking back on it now. I have some really great friends, now that I think about it.

My point _is_, I don't remember this guy at all, and I try to remember most things. So take that how you will.

Either way, whoever Ryder is, it doesn't really matter; because Cat is beyond certain that he's the killer, and that's good enough for me to be out here.

Still, I wasn't expecting much, so you can imagine my surprise when I see the front door of that house fly open and slam loudly enough to where I can hear it from Cat's place.

"_Shit_," I hiss. I nudge Cat awake, "is that him?" I ask.

Cat sits up, rubbing her eyes. "Huh?"

"There!" I say, pointing to the figure now dragging a huge trash bag across his driveway. "Is that _him_?"

She looks at me for a second, and then her eyes widen, she scoots closer to me and looks. Cat's mouth lulls open, "yeah," she whimpers, grabbing tightly onto my arm.

_Well_, if that isn't the most goddamn suspicious looking thing that I have _ever_ seen in my entire life, _holy shit_. The guy, Ryder, pulls this enormous bag across the pavement and then heaves it into the back of his truck, he even looks around to make sure no one's watching. This is some really classic _I'm breaking the law_ behavior. He never looks at us, though.

And I'm quiet.

We both are, and we just watch as he backs out of his driveway and drives off.

Okay, maybe I _completely_ believe it now.

This is… _Big_. This is heavy, and way more than what I was expecting to see. There's no way that was trash, _no possible way_. I came here to convince Cat that she was just imagining things, but I can't do that _anymore_, can I? I'm not going to lie to her.

Not going to lie to _myself_, either. I know what I saw, hell, _you_ know what I saw, and it sure as shit wasn't good.

I'm still quiet, and I look at Cat's face in the moonlight.

She looks at mine.

And…

_Terror_.

Fright, pure and simple. Cat's is a reflection of mine, mine of hers, and I can't stand it. I get up; shut the window, and stand, resting my forehead against the windowpane. It's pitch black in Cat's room, the only light a faint green coming from her alarm clock, but I don't need it to see that Cat still has that same look on her face.

"Beck?" She reaches for my hand in the dark and finds it, grips it hard. "I don't want to sleep anymore."

I pull her up on her feet and she hugs me. "Me neither," I say, managing a smile in that dark room. "_Me neither_."


	6. Indecision

I don't know what to do, at all.

Normally I would, normally I'd just think it through rationally, and figure this whole thing out, but I'm just…

_Just_…

I'm just entirely too _scared_ for that.

Used to be, I didn't think I was really capable of fear, of freaking out, you know? Especially _this_ bad. I'm close to shaking right now. I mean, _shit_, what do I _do_? I was only trying to _help_, damn it, not scare myself half to death! Which is _exactly_ what I did, it's so… So… It's just…

_Shit_.

This is too much.

This week is too much. It really, _really_ isn't going the way I'd planned at all, _sheesh_.

What the hell am I supposed to do?

Last night, or well, _this_ _morning_ at Cat's place, I felt like something would've come to me. A plan, a solution or _something_, at least some kind of vague idea of something that I could do, you know? Framework, I can handle that. Just even the corners of the puzzle, and I could fill in the rest as I go, simple enough. That's how it's always worked for me, I think my way _out_ of problems and _into_ solutions; I go with my gut. It's usually the easiest thing for me to do, think fast and work it out. I've never had to wrack my brain like this to fix something, it's never been this tough, it's always been easy.

_So_ easy.

But now?

I can barely think straight.

I didn't sleep at all, and my brain is _so_ past fried, it's not even close to being funny. I can't keep my eyes open, can't keep my mind from drifting. Even though it's daytime now, I still feel like I'm in the dark. Still in Cat's room, holding her until she falls asleep again. Each time I close my eyes I see it, I see _him_, dragging the… Dragging that _body_, across the cold cement to that scary black truck, and then it changes. Now it's not even a bag anymore, now he's just dragging a corpse without even trying to hide it. Then it's _my_ body he's dragging, then Jade's, then Robbie's, and then everyone else, and _then_…

Then it's _Cat's_. Her scarlet hair matted with blood, her face fixed in this expression that's…

_No_.

Can't think about that, just _can't_. That's never happening, never. I'd kill him myself before he ever got the chance to hurt Cat.

Or _anyone_ else, too, ha. Not just her or anything, I'm not, uh...

Oh, who am I trying to fool. You can already tell, I'm sure.

_Shit_.

I need to sleep, so badly. But I can't now, I'm driving. And if I sleep, what if I can't stop myself from seeing that same thing? Over and over again, always someone else dead, waiting to be dropped off in some alley and found the next day by some poor person walking by. The worst nightmare you could think of. I can't stand it, I've never been so god damn scared in my entire life, and I have no control, no way of calming myself down. It's unbearable, it's unfair, and it's making me so...

I'm _lost_ again, just when I thought I'd been found.

"Beck?" Cat squeaks from next to me.

I need to snap out of this. There's no time for feeling sorry for myself. Back into reality, Beck, okay? No time for this, no time _at all_. I have to _think_. I have to plan. Here we go, deep breath, _deep_, calm down, and stop. Just look, just keep it cool; I don't want Cat to worry, do I? _Of course not_. I look over at her and smile, then back at the road.

"You're worried." She says.

Well, here we go.

I try to maintain myself, but… It's too much. "_Of course I'm worried_!" I shout. "There's a goddamn serial killer going to our school! Should I _not_ be worried?" I slam my fist on the steering wheel and Cat jumps, "I'm worried about everyone _else_, too, and I'm worried about _myself_," I sigh.

She stares at me, her eyes wide.

"And more importantly," I murmur, "I'm worried about you, _Cat_." I take her hand and shake my head. "Sorry for yelling…"

Cat smiles faintly, "It's okay."

_Damn it_.

She only lives four hundred feet away from this guy, what am I going to do about that? How could I possibly deal with _that_? Ask him to go kill people somewhere _else_?

Am I supposed to storm into his place and _stop_ him? Find him hunched over a table dissecting someone, and tell him to quit it? I've never even been in a real fight before. But then again, I've never had to stop a murderer, either.

Big steps, huh?

There's so much I have to figure out, too much. It's _too_ much.

_Calm down_.

Okay, maybe.

Maybe I do have a plan.

"Cat, we gotta call the cops." I tell her. Simple enough, right? Just tell them, and let them handle it. There!

It'll be out of our hands, then. _They'll_ be the ones who storm in, _they'll_ be the ones to see his dungeon of horrors or whatever the hell he's got going on with those bodies in his house, and _they'll_ be the ones who stop him. Easy, so easy.

So, why is it that I think…

Why don't I think that'll work?

It's just apprehension. That's it, it has to be, I'm just nervous.

_But_… This guy, Ryder…

What if he's _smart_?

What if he covers his tracks?

Tori's dad said they didn't even have a suspect. The bodies are always dropped off in these remote places in the middle of the night, there's never anyone around. No witnesses at all.

_Except me and Cat_.

What if he catches us? The way we caught him, what if he _suspects_?

No.

No, damn it. He's not a criminal mastermind, he's a teenager, he's my age, he's just been lucky, that's all. And luck runs out.

_Easy_.

Cat shakes her head, "I'm not allowed to call the police anymore," she says. "I used to call every night because of the monsters under my bed, but it turned out monsters aren't real, and so they blocked my cell phone number."

_What_?

Well actually… Maybe monsters _are_ real.

Oh, whatever, that was a little dramatic. "That's fine, kiddo, I'll do it." I tell her.

_Sheesh_. And speaking of phones, I've gotten like twenty texts since last night from everyone. Everyone except Jade, I mean. But I'm not really in the mood to answer any of them, you know? I've got other things on my mind.

"Kay kay." Cat murmurs, nodding morosely.

I squeeze her hand playfully and then let go.

We're close to school now, _and so_, that means…

That means…

Oh, I got nothing.

I pull into the parking lot, and when I get out, Tori and Andre immediately approach me. _Great_, this is _exactly_ what I need right now.

"Oh, hey Beck." Andre greets, walking up to me.

I sort of nod curtly and flee to the other side of the car, opening Cat's door for her.

"We tried getting a hold of you last night," Tori starts, "but we…" She stops when she sees Cat get out of the car.

"_I told you_," Andre whispers, elbowing Tori lightly.

"Hey guys!" Cat says.

This is headed in the wrong direction, I can already tell.

"Hey little red," Andre says, grinning.

"Hey Cat," Tori says, a matching smile creeping across her face, too.

Yeah, great, we all know each other, and maybe they noticed I'm wearing the exact same clothes I was yesterday, too, it's _fun_! Yay!

_So much goddamn fun_.

Really, it is, but I need to figure out how I'm going to do this, and how I'm going to stop this guy Ryder. Oh, maybe you've heard of him? He kills people.

Tori apparently just asked what Cat and I were up to, and Cat is now describing, in great detail, how many times exactly she beat me in card games, and everyone laughs. _Ha_, very funny.

I'd leave, but that would look odd, and I'm going to try and act as normal as possible. Plus, I don't want to just leave Cat alone, because then I'd feel worse than I already do, and I already feel pretty bad.

_And_…

And something dawns on me. A _feeling_.

Cold, and painful… And I see Jade, I see Jade _seeing_ me.

Her perfectly manicured eyebrows narrowed, her ice blue eyes burning me with their coldness, her lips drawing back across her teeth as she says some terrible, four syllable, two word phrase that I'm much too far away to hear. She's sitting with Robbie and Trina, who then notice _her_ noticing _me_, and decide that they'd like to come over and bother me too.

I want to scream, now.

I really just want to pull my hair out and run away, I need to.

But I don't.

I need to think!

_Go away_!

Cat seems to be the only one that can sense my growing insanity, because starts rubbing my shoulder.

Which is, of course, a gesture that everyone notices.

Tori cocks her head to the side. "So, Beck are you and Cat, like, togeth–"

_So_, Tori, why do you have to ask me so many damn questions, huh?

_Deep breath_. Stay cool.

I laugh, "So, Tori, Andre, are you guys dating yet?"

Both of their faces go blank and they look at each other and start stammering out an answer, Tori turns as red as Cat's hair.

_Okay_, that'll buy me some time. Work your magic, sweet embarrassment.

All right.

Cat starts to giggle, and I think I have my opening to escape.

I take her hand and start to move.

And then, the worst possible thing that could ever happen happens. Right there, in that parking lot, in the middle of the morning, in front of a hundred other people.

I cannot accurately describe how I feel about this, it would be too much of a challenge, so let me just paint you a picture, as it were. Because they say pictures are worth a thousand words, and I'm certain you have, in your life, read a great deal more than a thousand words, _so_ you'll be able to possibly, maybe, understand how I feel right now.

I doubt that'll happen, but I'll try.

Because, what happens to me, is that a black pickup truck drives by.

Doesn't sound too bad, right?

_Think again_.

Because this truck is one that I've seen before.

Recently seen. Say, maybe in the past twenty-four hours or so.

A truck with a large dent in the back fender. A truck that, maybe, possibly, I _stared at_ all night through a pair of binoculars with a snoring Cat laying next to me and a glass of warm lemonade nearby. This truck might also have had a corpse thrown into the back of it a little while ago. _Sound familiar_?

And this vehicle doesn't just _drive by_, either. It _creeps_ by.

It moves by _us_ the way a _panther_ might move by an antelope, or some other thing that panthers eat. Something smaller than the panther, and weaker. I don't know, I'm not an expert on jungle animals or anything, I just mean it was a very predatory gesture.

I'm getting _way_ off track now, but maybe that's because I'm scared out of my mind.

My point is, Ryder might as well be doing a handstand on the hood of this truck and screaming my name, because it would get the same message across to me.

That message being: '_I know_,' and that message scaring me shitless, before the deliverer of that message drives off.

The window of that truck doesn't roll down, it doesn't need to, because I've seen enough.

Because that's when I _do_ run away.

I take Cat's hand, and I _run_.

And that's that, for conversation.


	7. True Fear

"Beck," Cat says, "uh, Beck?" She sounds tired, _worried _too, but that's a given. "_Beck_?" She keeps trying to get my attention, but there's no time for that.

_He's_ probably watching us right now, from _somewhere_. No… He's _definitely_ watching us. I know I'd be, were I him.

_Shit_, am I so… Winded.

_I can't_…

I can't… _Breathe_, I need to stop, I have to stop, I have to calm down and think.

That moment back there just then, when Ryder drove past us… I just took off. Didn't know what else to do, really, I couldn't think of anything. My instincts just sent me reeling and I ran, and I still am.

I run inside the school, but Cat's starting to slow me down, so I maybe I ought to have her hop my back, that might work, or maybe I should just carry her in my arms. I could probably do that for a little while, yeah, and now I'm by the stairs so…

"_Beck_!" Cat shouts.

And I stop.

And I breathe, and then I turn and I look at her, my hand still gripping hers like a shackle. _Have I gone crazy_?

She looks up at me with frown. "Say something, please? You're scaring me."

Then I laugh, _definitely_ crazy. I let go of her. "_Something_." I say.

Cat shakes her head, smiling, and then she frowns again.

"Why were we running just now?" She asks. "Not that I didn't enjoy it, but it was a little weird." She says, adding, "even for _me_."

_She didn't even see it_? Shit, why did I even…

_Okay_.

Okay, yeah, that's probably for the best. Don't need her to feel anywhere near what I'm feeling right now; I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Well, actually, I _would_ wish it on Ryder.

_Wait_.

Did I even really see his truck at all? Maybe I'm just too worked up, too exhausted from not getting any sleep, you know? That kind of hallucination thing will happen to the sleep-deprived. Maybe I just need to catch some shuteye, I think I'll be fine after that, and then I can tackle this situation without feeling like I'm about to collapse mid thought.

Maybe I…

_No_.

Sleep would mean not being aware, and not watching out. I can't sleep, I wouldn't be able to take care of Cat, and then something could…

Well, it just wouldn't be good.

And I did see that truck. _I saw that truck_, I really did.

I smelt the exhaust in the hot Summer air; I heard the tires roll across the scorching pavement as passed me, and I know Ryder was looking at me from behind that black-tinted window, I know it with every fiber of my being, he watched me. Knowing that I _know_. Or maybe, even worse, he was looking at _Cat_.

Stop. Can't think like that. I need to start thinking solutions, not problems. This isn't how I work, I need to be calm, damn it.

Just calm down, Beck, you're not being rational.

I was… I was going to call the cops, right.

That _was_ my plan.

And it still is, I just…

Not now. I can't do it now, I can't tell _anyone_. Not while Ryder is out there somewhere, _around_. He'd do _something_ to stop it, something to prevent me from telling the police, something that would make me not _tell_. I know that's what I'd do, and I don't need this to become anymore of a mind game than it already has, I don't want to make this creep do anything crazier than he already has been because the cops are on his trail and he's got nothing to lose.

_And_, maybe back there was just a slow pass, you know? Maybe he was just looking for a parking spot, maybe I'm overreacting.

Or maybe I'm bullshitting myself right now. _Parking spot_, what the hell am I thinking?

Shit!

How'd he even find out in the first place?

It felt like I was being careful, I mean _you_ were there, I don't think I did anything that would've drawn this psycho's attention.

_Did I_? Did Cat?

What if he knew before last night? What if he was just toying with us? With _Cat_. What if…

What if _she's_ his next target?

_Damn it_, that's not it, it can't be, don't even consider that as an option. That's _never_ going to happen, I'll tear down that freak's house with my bare hands before I let him near Cat, I _swear_ that.

_No_!

Don't be stupid; this is no time for anger. Anger blinds people, and I need to see clearly. I need to think, because this is _way_ over my head, way too heavy, it's just insane, it's like…

Like my life has become a horror movie.

I…

I can work with that, can't I?

Horror movies are easy, predictable, even really stupid most of the time. If this is a horror movie, and I'm the hero, then this will be cake. I'll take this bastard down by the end of the week and be back home by Sunday morning to finish my cereal.

Simple. Open and shut case, Watson.

I just need to find a gun or something and…

_What the hell am I thinking_?

This isn't a _movie_!

I'm losing it, I don't even know how to shoot a gun, let alone where to get one, and I'd probably blow my foot off before I ever hit Ryder.

Stop being an idiot, this is _real_.

I need to step back into reality.

"Cat." I say, looking over my shoulder.

What do I say now? What possible reason could I have for dragging her into a sprint away from our friends like some crazy homeless dude on meth?

What do I do, what do I say? How do I…

_Huh_.

Well, hold on.

Oh, that's _good_.

_That_ might work, that's actually a really good idea, now that I think about it. A little devious, but, we're playing for keeps here, aren't we?

Maybe I shouldn't, though. I'd feel bad about it; it'd be like I was leading her on, you know?

But _would_ I be leading her on? I do feel… _That_ way, don't I?

I do, yeah.

Still, should I? I mean, it would probably be better for me if I flew solo for a while, I'm only really _starting_ to get over Jade, and I was with her _two years_. That's the longest time I've been with anyone. Granted, I've only really dated like nine or ten girls in my life, but still.

Hopping immediately from one relationship to another isn't super healthy, I imagine, and I don't want to rush into _this_ especially, it could hurt both of us and I don't…

_Ah, fuck it_.

I look into Cat's eyes, I smile, and then I kiss her.

* * *

><p><strong>Ooooh, just when it's starting to get good, huh? Well the next chapter will be from Cat's POV, so prepare yourself. Oh, and maybe shoot a review my way.<strong>


	8. Cat's Chapter

Beck kisses me.

_Beck_ _kisses_ _me_!

Right here, in the hallway, in front of _everyone_. Like it was just him, and me, here alone.

_Me_!

He _kissed_ me…

I've dreamed about this happening. I've dreamed about it a lot, actually, pretty much like twice a week, but I never really thought it would _really_ happen. Maybe I'm dreaming it _now_. This _can't_ be real, it just can't be.

Beck is just…

He's…

He is _so_ amazing, and cute, and nice, and he's really the sweetest guy I know, and probably the most handsome too, and, oh _jeez_… But he's always with Jade and Jade is _Jade_ and even though she's mean to everyone all the time and never appreciates anyone, especially him, _or me_, and she still gets to be with the greatest guy in the world and I get…

I don't really get anything.

The last boyfriend I had got stolen by Tori, and that's okay, I forgave her, because we're friends, but it still _really_ hurt. And I couldn't even enjoy my last date at the Prome because Robbie thought I was lying even though I wasn't, but I ended up hurting his feelings anyway and that's not something I wanted to do at all, because he's one of my best friends, but I _did_ hurt his feelings and I don't even see how it was my fault, but I guess it had to have been otherwise I wouldn't have felt so bad and had to never talk to Tug again.

And now there's _Beck_, who just kissed me.

He didn't even give me a warning...

He leaned down, wrapped his arms around my waist, dipped me like we were dancing at Maestro's, and he…

_He just kissed me_.

I didn't think he'd do that.

I never thought he'd…

I _hoped_ he would… _Every time_ we're together I hope he'll kiss me, it's like a little fantasy, like Beck will ride up to me on a pretty white horse and take me away, and I'd be wearing a frilly yellow dress and he'd be in a suit of armor, but that's just _hoping_, it's not hurting anyone, right?

But now…

Now I'm all nervous, and blushing, and I don't want to open my eyes, because what if I _am_ just dreaming? I don't want it to end… I feel like shaking and shivering even though I also feel like someone should really lower the temperature in here because it's like it's too hot, and why do I have to be so short, anyway? I can barely reach him. And why is he so much taller than me in the first place, why can't everyone be the same height? _Oh_, why did he have to kiss _me_?

These kinds of things always happen to me, and I don't mean for them to happen, but they do, and then I end up feeling bad.

What if Jade gets mad at me? What if she stops being my friend? What if she sees, and then gets mad at Beck even though this is probably my fault somehow, and she never speaks to him again? I always thought they would get _married_ one day and have a bunch of kids and name them fun things like Coyote or Apple Tree or Zed, but that might not even happen now because of _me_.

I really should just stop, but…

I'm_ still _kissing him…

_He's_ still kissing _me_, and… _Oh no_, now our tongues are…

And I forget.

I forget where I am, I forget where _we_ are, I stop remembering that Ryder's killing people across the street from my house and that Beck just dragged me away from everyone like a crazy person and that he and Jade are supposed to get married someday, because it's too hard to think right now.

Because I _want_ this so badly.

He's always been there, not just these past couple of days, either, but _always_. Whenever I needed something off a high shelf, or someone to help me remember my locker combination because sometimes when I write it on my arm it gets rubbed off by the time I get to school, or someone to take me aside and just hug me when I feel like everything I do is wrong, someone to tell me that I'm going to be okay and then make me believe it without me ever even having to ask, it's always been Beck. He's always been the one to save me, and to tell me everything is going to be fine.

He always cares, he's always watching out for me, and I never have to ask because he's just that nice of a person.

Beck is…

He's what people would picture when they think of a prince from somewhere in some story, where he fights dragons and rescues pretty girls with long hair that swings around when they walk, and then when he rescues them, he doesn't try and pressure them into sex because he's a gentleman, but maybe he doesn't even have to pressure the girl into sex in the at all, because she really likes him already, even before he kills the dragon, so she's okay with it and it ends up being _her_ idea in the first place.

Know what I mean?

He's even worried that I'm afraid of Ryder; he thinks I'm scared about this whole thing, I can tell from the way he looks at me, but I'm not. I'm not scared, not at all.

I haven't been since I told Beck what I saw, because I knew then he'd help me, even if he thought it was silly, and he _did_ think that at first, but I knew he'd do whatever it took to make me feel better, and he _did_, even if it means killing a dragon. He came through like he always does, like he probably always will. He stayed up with me playing cards and he let me win and he didn't complain once when it seemed like we weren't going to find anything and he talked to me about all the crazy little things that I always have on mind until I fell asleep and _then_ when we did finally see Ryder he even held me until I fell asleep again, because he's a prince. He's _my_ prince, and that's why…

That's why…

That's why I think I love him.

_Oh no_.

I didn't just say that, did I? _Love_?

That's not good, at all. I can't do that.

What if he doesn't love me back?

What if he just…

I can't love him; he's too good for me.

"Cat." He says, pulling away.

I'm speechless; I think I will be for a long time.

"Sorry," he says, "I just, uh, needed to do that."

And then he _smiles_, and I _melt_.

I melt like an ice cream cone that some little boy dropped on the sidewalk on a Sunday afternoon because he wasn't paying attention; all I can do is look at Beck and nod, and hope that I don't _actually_ melt right here in this hallway.

"Cat?" He asks, frowning. "Say something."

"_Something_." I say.

He smiles again, and then I hug him. I don't want to let go, and I don't, and neither does _he_. And that's how I know.

"I had to get away," Beck whispers, kissing my forehead. "With you."

I nod.

"I'm sorry if I scared you." He says.

I nod again. I'm not dumb, even if it seems like it most of the time; I can understand context clues better than most people, even. Something scared him, and I have to know what it was. "What did you see?" I ask.

A surprised look forms on his face. "Huh?"

I look down, eye-level with his chest, "what did you see that made you run?" I ask, stepping back, "that made _us_ run."

There had to have been a reason. He got _scared_, and Beck doesn't get scared. Not easily, at least. He's always the one that calms the scared people down; he's the parent who shows you there aren't any monsters in your closet and then kisses you on the head and tucks you in, and even leaves your door cracked open so he can hear you call if you get scared again.

I look into his eyes. _What was it_? What could it have been? Did he…

Do you think he saw _Ryder_?

"Cat…" He begins, "I don't want to scare you."

"Tell me, please." I whimper, "was it _him_?"

Beck looks at me with shocked smirk. "How do always know what I'm thinking?"

"Just lucky I guess." I say.

His smile widens and he looks forward, above me, his eyes searching for something that seems far away. I start to wonder what he's thinking again before he finally tells me.

"I have a plan," he says in a low tone.

_Oh_, yay! I love plans. "What is it?" I ask eagerly, grinning.

"We're going to throw a party at your house."

_Huh_? That might be fun, but I don't really see how it helps.

"We're going to invite everyone," he continues, "_Everyone_. Jade, Sinjin, hell, even Sikowitz, whoever wants to come can come." He nods, stepping away from me and crossing his arms. "We'll get everyone at this school into _your_ house..." He trails off, running a hand through his hair.

"Why?" I ask, now genuinely confused, "and Beck, _everyone at this school_? _Ryder _goes to this school."

"_Exactly_." He says, his dark eyes twinkling, "exactly, that's the whole point, we need to get him out of his house for a while."

Why would we…

_Oh_! Oh, that's great! "So we can find _proof_!" I shout.

Beck shushes me, looking around and back over his shoulder. "_Right_." He hisses, "but not _we_. Just me. It's your party, you're going to stay at your place and hang out with everyone." _Where it's safe_, his tone says.

What is he thinking? That's _too_ dangerous. Way too dangerous, he can't go _alone_. That's crazy.

And not crazy like '_it's so crazy it just might work_' kind of crazy, either, it's crazy like jumping into a pool with a shark, and a crocodile, and a bunch of piranhas. And if all of those animals were really angry with you.

I shake my head. "_No_! I can't let you do that, not by yourself. What if he decides to _leave_? What if he decides to go back home?"

"Then you'll just have to send me a _text_." Beck says nonchalantly, putting his hand lightly against my back and guiding to my first class.

"_No_!" I whisper.

He shrugs, "You can call me instead, if that'll make you feel better."

Oh no.

_Oh no_! He's gone crazy! "What if… What if…" I stammer.

I know it's a good plan, but I can't let him do it, I just can't. What if he gets hurt? He's gone crazy and there's no way I can fix it!

I stop. "What if he doesn't come?" I ask.

Beck stops too, and that's when I think I've _won_.

_Ha_!

The smile on his face, though, tells me I _haven't_.

He doesn't say anything for a few seconds, he only smiles, but eventually, "he'll come," Beck says, leading me forward again. "He'll come, because I'm going to invite him _myself_."

Before and I can protest, before I can tell him exactly how worried that makes me, I'm in first period, then the bell rings, and Beck is halfway across the school, waving over his shoulder at me.


	9. End of the Rope

**We're back to Beck now.**_  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>Shhh<em>.

I'm trying to psych myself up.

Yeah, it's stupid, _I know_, but I have to.

Today has been a total _nightmare_, okay?

I know I'm putting on a brave face, but that's just what I do. I'm _still_ scared out of my mind; I'm _still_ drifting in and out of conversations, probably because I'm half-asleep and mostly because I really just don't care about Robbie and Rex's argument.

Which _is_ what's happening right now, before my very eyes. A sixteen-year-old kid arguing with a _puppet_ about what they'll be eating for dinner.

Rex wants Pizza.

A puppet.

A _puppet_ wants to eat some _pizza_, and Robbie has been doing this for like fifteen minutes, it's mesmerizing, I just can't look away.

"_Pepperoni_, Rob." Rex grates, while Robbie shakes his head, saying, "Cheese makes Trina have breakouts."

"She doesn't _have_ to come." Rex says.

Robbie laughs, "Well now you're just being _silly_…"

Why am I only _now_ realizing how absolutely ridiculous this is?

_How_?

I can't even…

I'm assuming it's a cry for help, which is what I always assume when this sort of thing happens, but I'm sorry Robbie, I've got my own issues at the moment, I'm sure you understand.

This whole day has been entirely too insane for me, or any _one_ person to handle, and not completely lose it. I feel like I'm going to start babbling and drooling and curl up into a ball, start sucking my thumb, that whole nine. Which _is_ a wonderfully encouraging thought, considering I think I might have already come _dangerously_ close to that point by now.

I _could_ be completely crazy; it's a strong possibility I'd say, especially now when I rethink the structure of my whole plan. Having someone read it back to me…

_What was I thinking_? I might have to call it off completely.

When I thought it up, it came to me like a lightning strike, as if it were Zeus himself… or _whoever_… telling me exactly what I needed to do, how I needed to do it, and when it needed to be done. It seemed foolproof and _flawless_ and a whole bunch of other words that I'd use to imply that it was a near perfect idea.

But _now_?

I mean, _shit_, sneaking into _Ryder's_ house? What the hell am I thinking? It's one thing to call the cops, but an entirely different matter to saddle up, six shooters loaded, and take down the criminal mastermind yourself. It's almost as psychotic a plan as _Ryder_ is a person.

And…

Well, maybe you agree.

If you're smart, you do.

Maybe you think my game plan is a little too rash, a little too dangerous, and maybe even _idiotic_. Which is fine, I don't blame you, I have my own trepidations, _obviously, _but it's not like I haven't been getting enough of that from Cat already. Pouting and sighing, and sighing and pouting, you should see some of the looks she's given me today; you'd think I was going off to war or something.

_Hell_, maybe I am.

But I've been sitting on my hands and keeping quiet for a little too long, I think. What's it been, like almost ten chapters now? _Eh_, whatever, I've lost count of how many times I've gone ahead and opened up my heart and soul to you, and that's cool, because it's really probably the closest thing I've had to a true spiritual experience, but maybe it's getting a _little_ bit monotonous. Anyways, I've been looking and I've been waiting and I've been doing nothing, and that's going to change.

For the _better_, let's hope.

I can't just keep sitting around; watching people argue with inanimate objects and hoping another body doesn't turn up or expecting Ryder to get caught. That's not how this is going to play out, not at all, and I think I probably knew that from the start. Maybe it's a tad cliché, but I'm gunning to take this guy _down_, and justice is keeping my shooting hand steady. Ryder is going down faster than a drunk on roller skates, and that's a promise.

_Okay, _that was _way _too dramatic, but you get the picture.

_Speaking_ of Ryder, there's still this part where I'm supposed to walk up to that creepy bastard like my skin doesn't crawl every time I think of him and invite him into Cat's house…

Which is really a _terrible_ idea when used in that context, I mean, shit, it's like inviting a wolf to a petting zoo. And worse than _that_, it'll be at a time when I won't even be there to watch out for her.

That part is much more frightening than finding some kind of weird murder dungeon or a fridge full of severed feet or organs hanging from the ceiling or whatever the hell kind of horror show that's bound to be in Ryder's house, and scarier _still_ than him coming home early and finding me rifling around his place taking pictures.

Part of me wants that, though.

It's the _dumbass_ part, keep in mind, but I do wonder how killer of a thrill I'd get from breaking into a killer's house.

But I need to stop focusing so much on myself, my job in this scheme is the easiest, Cat is the one that has to pretend as though the entire purpose of the party isn't to get Ryder out of his house for a few hours.

She _can_ do it.

I _believe_ in her, I really do.

Really, I do, but I just can't keep my doubts from knifing my confidence in the back.

What if Cat slips up somewhere along the line and Ryder starts to _suspect_? Like he'd wonder: '_Hey, where's Beck_?" and then put two and two together, which would add up to me snooping around someplace where I shouldn't be, flashing up the proverbial Bat Signal and sending him running across the street.

I guess Cat would be safe in that scenario, so it's not _that_ bad of a mishap, even if I do end up a little bit dead.

Then, of course, I start worrying about Cat, and all the bad things that could happen to her. Then the _what-ifs_ storm into the room and tie me to a chair, leaving me helpless.

What if that awful idea I had about Cat being _his_ next target wasn't that far off from reality? What if it was actually closer to the goddamn _truth_?

_Shit_, what if Ryder _isn't_ actually smart like I figured, what if he's just gotten by on pure luck and he's really an absolute maniac who'll decide to slice and dice his way through everyone at the party the moment he walks through the door?

What then?

_No_.

I can't think like that.

No one is stupid enough to make a move that like in a place like that; it's too ridiculous, even for a _psychopath_. He'd play it cool, I know because that's what I'd do, and that is pretty much what I'm basing this whole gambit on in the first place.

So cross your fingers, _folks_, and keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at _all_ times, because this is sure to be a _hell_ of a ride.

Well, it _would_ be…

If I could find Ryder.

I've been wandering around through my entire lunch period now and I haven't seen the guy anywhere.

Well, maybe I'm just to deep in thought and fear and exhaustion and watching Robbie be a weirdo to be paying attention to…

Oh, wait.

_There_ he is.

Right over there, by his locker.

Okay then. He's putting his backpack away, and checking his hair in a mirror that takes up the entire inside of the locker door. _Talk_ about narcissism, _sheesh_. He's got a smug look on his face that makes me wonder if he doesn't have a bad idea sitting behind his eyes right now, like who he's going to _carve up_ next, for one, and he's…

_He's_…

No.

That couldn't be, that'd be…

The _worst_ thing, that's… That can't…

He's…

He's talking to _Jade_.

She's smiling, and laughing, and lightly touching Ryder's shoulder, and that other nice shit she _forces_ herself to do when she wants someone who doesn't know her that well to like her. I'd actually think it was funny if Jade wasn't talking to…

_Him_.

Pardon my French, but…

_Fuck!_

Okay, composure, Beck.

I am a _stream_, a river through which the trials and troubles of daily life flow through without purchase; I am an ever stretching, never ending, contracting and expanding body of water, adapting to circumstance and confrontation.

Good.

I actually picked that up from a self-meditation tape that I bought Jade for her sixteenth birthday a few months ago. Needless to say, I got more use out of it than she ever did.

"Oh yeah?" Ryder says to Jade, "well, not really, I guess it's just _natural_ tone, ha."

_Oh_, please. You could spread that _cheese_ on a sandwich. "Ryder?" I interject.

A disturbingly flat grin stretches across his mouth. "_Oh_ hey, _Beck_." He says.

Jade looks at me, I can tell, with the sort of look that could start a forest fire, but I'm not really paying attention to her. "Uh," she begins, but I cut her off.

"So, you hear about the party Friday night?" I ask.

His eyebrows raise, "_No_, actually. Do tell."

"_What_ party?" Jade asks.

I turn and just look at her until she leaves. It's pretty much the most blank, fed-up look I've ever given anyone, and it _works_, so cool.

Jade frowns and walks away, pulling her phone from her pocket immediately.

Ryder smirks at me. "You were saying?"

I neither have the time, nor the patience to start some stupid little thing about 'claiming' Jade, because really, who gives a flying shit at this point? And she'd handle herself far better than I have in dealing with serial killers, I think.

"Friday night," I repeat, "_Cat's_ house." I raise my eyebrows in mock interest, "you _do_ know where that is, right?"

He laughs, nodding and giving me a knowing, razor-edged look.

"So you'll be there?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Ryder says.

I nod, half-turning away. "Good, we're trying to get the entire school to be there, everyone pretty much."

"Ah, a _real_ blow out, then." Ryder murmurs encouragingly.

"Yep," I say, walking away, "_everyone_ will be there."

_Everyone_ except _me_, that is.


End file.
